The Lead

The death of two patients at the Ronald Regan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles has renewed focus on the “super bug” known as CRE, or Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), CRE are difficult to treat because of their resistance to antibiotics.

Weekly news and features for business continuity professionals

Nadav Davidai of Control Risks and Emily Lord of RX Response will present "Including Your Supply Chain Partners in Large-Scale Exercise Simulations." Their presentation will focus on working with multiple partners to organize exercise that align with the objectives of everyone involved.

Nearly a decade ago, the U.S. secretary of transportation stood at the site of a horrendous commuter train crash near downtown Los Angeles and called for the adoption of a new train car design that testing showed could blunt the tremendous force of a head-on collision.

The Association of Threat Assessment Professionals (ATAP) is holding its annual spring regional conference in the northeast. The ATAP conference will be held at the Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center in New York City on March 30-31.

Some Connecticut taxpayers might receive income tax refunds a few weeks later than expected as state revenue officials verify that fraudulent returns are not being submitted. Federal and state tax officials blame breaches, identity theft, phishing and other forms of cybercrime for attempts to fraudulently claim refunds.

St. Louis area authorities planning for a grand jury announcement had proposed stationing Missouri National Guard troops and armored Humvees in a Ferguson neighborhood where Michael Brown had been shot by a policeman, according to records detailing the state's preparations.

While much of the attention in the ongoing measles outbreak has focused on student vaccination requirements and exemptions, less attention has been paid to another group in the nation's classrooms: Teachers and staff members, who, by and large, are not required to be vaccinated.

The White House is setting up a new agency designed to coordinate cyber threat intelligence that currently is spread across the U.S. government. Currently, government expertise in analyzing the various cyber threats resides in a number of agencies, including the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command.

New Mexico's top environment officials and the U.S. Energy Department are wrangling over more than $54 million in fines levied in the wake of a radiological leak at the federal government's underground nuclear waste repository. Because negotiations with the federal government are ongoing, officials said the total penalties that could be assessed remains unclear.

Health officials say two more infants from a suburban Chicago day care have measles, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in Illinois to 10. Chicago and Cook County health officials said that nine of the 10 cases are associated with a KinderCare Learning Center in Palatine

A powerful explosion rocked a chemical plant and set it on fire outside the separatist stronghold of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine. Rebels said the plant was hit by government shelling. No casualties or damage were immediately reported from the blast, which could be heard in downtown Donetsk. The city lies in the middle of Ukraine's industrial heartland and explosions like this have long been feared.

It might seem as if one can never be too prepared for a disaster, but being prepared takes time and costs money, something that many business continuity professionals are searching for more, not less of. BC pros need to plan for a wide range of events, from weather to cyber to workplace violence, but can it be taken too far?

Embattled Brazilian oil company Petrobras said the company's chief executive officer and five other top figures stepped down amid a long-running and massive kickback scandal at the firm. None of the top officials are facing charges of wrongdoing, but prosecutors have said the investigation is still in its early stages.

The deadly crash of a TransAsia plane into a river in Taiwan is again focusing the world's attention on the safety challenges facing fast-growing Asian airlines. TransAsia and others like it are rushing to keep up with a travel boom driven by the region's growing middle class.

Heavy rains have provoked landslide at the ancient Italian site of Pompeii, partially collapsing a retaining wall and sending rubble into a garden at the house of Severus. Italian officials said the affected area falls within the "Great Pompeii" joint EU-Italian restoration project and had been already closed to the public.

The game is one of the United States’ most high profile events of the year. More than 70 thousand people attended the game itself, and millions more watched as home. It could also make for an interesting business continuity case study, as dozens of BC topics are at play.

The European Union energy commissioner and Polish leaders discussed plans for an EU energy union aimed at greater security at a time of troubled ties with major gas supplier Russia. Poland, dependent on Russia for some 60 percent of its gas, is urging greater EU energy security through steps like joint gas purchases, sharing of resources and lesser dependence on imports.

The latest phase of a trial to determine how much BP should pay in Clean Water Act penalties for the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill — which could reach $13.7 billion — ended Monday, but a decision from the judge is not expected for months.

Forecasts for Winter Storm Juno missed the mark in New York and New Jersey, prompting an outcry against what many believe was a major overreaction. Some forecasters predicted Juno would drop significant. While this prediction proved to be true in much of New England, it brought only a few inches to New York and New Jersey.

Forecasters are watching two weather systems that may bring significant snow in the coming days as New Englanders are just digging out from a historic blizzard. Forecasters are also monitoring a storm loaded with moisture that's heading into the region over the weekend.

Today’s businesses lean more on technology then they ever have, which has made information technology and disaster recovery an important part of any business continuity plan. Business continuity and IT professionals must work together more than ever to keep their companies online while maintaining critical business functions.

An employee at a Home Depot store in Manhattan argued with a co-worker before fatally shooting him and then killing himself, police said, sending panicked workers and shoppers rushing to get away from the gunfire. The 31-year-old man exchanged words with a 38-year-old co-worker in the store's lighting section and then pulled out a gun.

It will be oil giant BP's turn to call witnesses as it makes its case for a civil penalty lower than the $13.7 billion the U.S. government is seeking for the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Last week, Government experts testified about environmental, economic and social damage arising from the spill. BP attorneys disputed much of that testimony, and have argued the recovery of the environment and the Gulf economy has been strong.

The global economy, slowed by stagnation in Europe and Japan, is being further hampered by China's decelerating growth. The Chinese economy grew 7.4 percent in 2014, its weakest performance in nearly a quarter-century. And its growth is forecast to slow even more over the next two years.

A collapsed overpass covered southbound lanes of Interstate 75 with hundreds of tons of concrete and steel, following a construction accident that killed a worker and injured a truck driver. The Ohio Department of Transportation said the busy artery through downtown Cincinnati will be closed at least two to three days.

Truckloads of drinking water were being shipped to the eastern Montana city of Glendive on Monday after traces of a major oil spill along the Yellowstone River were detected in public water supplies, raising concerns about a potential health risk.